Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb appeler

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The English translation of the French verb appeler is “to call” or “to name.” It is pronounced “ah-peh-leh” in its infinitive form.

Appeler comes from the Latin word “appellare,” meaning “to accost” or “to address.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been used in everyday French since then.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, appeler is used to express an action that had already been completed before another action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir in the imperfect tense and adding the past participle “appelé.”

Example 1: J’avais appelé mon ami avant de partir. (I had called my friend before leaving.)
Example 2: Elle avait appelé son frère pour lui demander de l’aide. (She had called her brother to ask for his help.)
Example 3: Nous avions appelé la police dès que nous avons entendu du bruit. (We had called the police as soon as we heard some noise.)

In these examples, the action of calling had already been completed before another action in the past (leaving, asking for help, hearing a noise). The Plus-que-parfait tense is often used to add more detail or to show a sequence of events in the past.

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of appeler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais appelé J’avais appelé mon ami. I had called my friend.
tu tu avais appelé Tu avais appelé ta mère. You had called your mother.
il il avait appelé Il avait appelé son frère. He had called his brother.
elle elle avait appelé Elle avait appelé sa sœur. She had called her sister.
on on avait appelé On avait appelé le médecin. One had called the doctor.
nous nous avions appelé Nous avions appelé les pompiers. We had called the firefighters.
vous vous aviez appelé Vous aviez appelé le plombier. You had called the plumber.
ils ils avaient appelé Ils avaient appelé leurs voisins. They had called their neighbors.
elles elles avaient appelé Elles avaient appelé leurs amis. They had called their friends.

Other Conjugations for Appeler.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler     (this article)

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Appeler – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb appeler. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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